Catalytic reaction



Nov. 30, 1937. M. PIER ET AL CATALYTIC REACTION Filed Jan. 10, 1934 luv on to- 5 (Na (K "UL. (thunk umsuz (\KUDWW $1 5 thetreatment athigher Patented Nov. 30,193?

'liNlTi-ED- STAT Efs- PATENT OFFICE Tame ,nE Ao'rroN I Mathias Pier, Heidelberg, and Walter Simon and Paul Jacob, Ludwigshafen-on-the-Rhine, Germany, assignors to I. G. Farbenindnstrie Akticngesellschaft, Frankfort on the- Main,

Germany Application January 10,- 1934, Serial No. 706,044 In Germany January 1'], 1933- s 7' Claims. (Cl. 196-53) .The present invention relates to improvements in'carrying out catalytic reactionsfin particular-the destructive hydrogenation of distillable.

ing hydrogen at elevated temperatures and preferably-under-pressure before providing it with allof the catalytically active substance.

We have now found that very active catalysts for the said reactions are obtained by treating carriers containing carbon, such as active carbon, coke and the like, or mixtures of these substances with other carriers, which have previously been activated by means ofsolid or liquid chemical agents, such as, phosphoric acid or zinc. chloride or potassium carbonate, or by means of gases, such as steam, at temperatures below 500 C., with steam or with theoxides of carbon,

namely with carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide,

at a temperature above 500 (2., it desired under pressure, before or after providingthem with .all of the catalytically active substance.

It is advantageous to carry out the treatment 4 of the carrier, which is preferably in a finely di-'-' vided or shaped condition, with steam at temperatures above 600 C., as for example-at. from 800 to 900 C. or more, ii desired under a pressure 012-5, 10,50 or 100 atmospheres or more, the

material thus becoming more porous an the 1 catalyst with which it is provided more act ve. f

Carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide may be the treatment'ot thecarricrs'. The previous activation by means of chem-' ical agents is preferably carried outwith acids, .as' for example phosphoric acid,;hydrochloric' acid, sulphuric acid or organic sulphoni'c acids, or with salts hving an activating action, as for .ex-

'50 ample zinc chloride. s v .In cases when the carriers containing carbon have alreacnr been subjected to a treatment with steam at low' temperatures, as for example.

r at from 450 to 500? C., it is necessary to repeat been providedwith a cata- AsYurther examples of carriers to be activated in accordance with the present invention may be mentioned active carbons which have been activated with substances otherthan steam or the oindes of carbon; these are then subjected to the said treatment with steam or the oxides of carbon at high temperatures.

, The carriers are provided before and/or after the said treatment with the catalytically active substances, as for example impregnated with a solution of one or more salts of a catalytically active element, as for examples. metal of the 2nd i to the 8th groups of the periodic system, especially molybdenum, tungsten, chromium, vana-- of. 0.2 to 5 per cent or'more.

catalytically active substances.

employed together with, or instead of steam, for

weight and in practice as a rule'between 2 and dium, rhenium, manganese, nickel or cobalt, or 15 mixed with metal compounds, such as oxides, sulphides or halides and preferably pressed into pieces. x

,The basic constituents, such as the ashes, may beremoved from the catalysts if desired. 20

In working up hydrocarbons of high boiling point by treatment; with hydrogenating gases 9. catalyst prepared as herein described is added to the initial materials for example in an amount The catalytically active substance maybe mixed in a solid-divided state with. thecarrier and, if desired, the mixture may be pressed into moulds, Another method of working is to allow the carrier to adsorb the catalytically active substance from a solution thereof. Advantageously the'catalytically active substance is in a colloidal state when brought on to the carrier.

Another method of bringing the catalytically active material-on to the carrier-is by precipitat- 35 ing the metal or metal compound on the carrier from the corresponding metal salt solutions.

The catalytically active substance may prior to or during-its application in the process undergo decomposition or conversion to form other The amount of catalytic substance brought on to the carrier may vary greatly but the useful range is generally betweenl and 20 per cent by Thus the expression includes the destiiuctive hydrogenation of carbonaceous-materials, in'par- 'ticular solid or liquid hydrocarbon products such as coal or all varieties, including, lignite,

other solid carbonaceous materials, such as peat,

. matic hydrocarbons, for example, to produce'hyperatures above 500, 'C'. and under high pressure.

tillation, conversion and extraction products thereof. The said destructive hydrogenation may be used to produce hydrocarbons of all sorts, such as motor fuels and in particular antiknock motor fuels,'solvent naphthas, middle oils, kerosene and lubricatingoils. The said expression also includes the removal of non-hydrocarbon impurities, such as -sulphuror oxygencontaining substances or nitrogen compounds by the action of hydrogen orgases containing or supplying hydrogen from crude carbonaceous materials, for example the refining by treatment withhydrogen of crude benzol, of crude motor fuels or of lubricating oils. The said expression further includesthe conversion of oxygen or sulphur containing organic compounds to produce the correspondinghydrocarbons or hydrogenated hydrocarbons-for example theconversion of phenols or cresols into the correspond ing cyclichydrocarbons or hydrogenation products thereof. Finally it includes the hydrogen? ation of unsaturated compounds and more particularly of unsaturated hydrocarbons or of aro matic compounds and more particularlyof eradroaromatic hydrocarbons. 7 The catalysts in accordance with the present invention are especially valuable for'the destruc i tive hydrogenation of coals, tars and mineral oils.

conversion of hydrocarbons rich in hydrogen,

such as middle oil or benzine, into non+knocking motor .fuel by treatment with hydrogen at temand 550 C. .The pressures employed are usually in excess of 20 atmospheres and asa. rule prefer ably in excess of atmospheres. In some reactions, however, atmospheric pressure or pressures slightly above atmospheric, for example,

pressures'of 10 atmospheres may be employed. For example, in the refining or crude benzol 1 rather low pressures, for example, of the order of 40 atmospheres give good results. Generally however pressuresof about 100, 200', 300, 500 and 'in some cases even 1000 atmospherescome into question.

result in'view. In general 300, 600, 1000, 2000 cubic meters or more of hydrogen, measuredun- *der normal conditions or temperature and presamounts 01 up toaboirt 3000,4000 cubic meters or morema'ybeernployedinmanycases. I

The catalysts prepared according to this invention are also verysuitable for carrying: out

other catalytic reactions, as for. example the splitting of liquid hydrocarbons of high boiling point ,intothoseoilowerboilingpoint."

The amount of hydrogen maintained in the reaction space and parts connected therewith, if

any, varies greatly with nature of the partied-x lar initial materials treated or according to the,-

. i 2,100,352 shales and wood, mineral oils, tars and the discording to the present invention, and indicates the flow of materials. a

The following example will further illustrate the nature of this invention but the invention is not restricted to this example.

w Example Pieces of active carbon which have been activated while employing phosphoric acid are treated with steam at 900 C. for from 3 to 5 hours. The tarry constituents present in the coal are thus removed'with a decrease in volume (by about 25 per cent). The carbon thus pretreated is impregnated with a solution of ammonium molybdate containing sulphuric acid, the carbon thus ab- .s orbing about 15 per cent of molybdic acid; the" resulting catalyst is arranged rigidly in a highpressure chamber. If there be led'thereover at 530 C. under a pressure of 200 atmospheres hy- "30 atmospheres, a product is obtained which coni sists about half of benzine and about half of mid- 1 die oil. The middle oil is again led over the catalyst together with'fresh oil. The benzine obtained by-working in this way corresponds as re gardsits knocking properties with a mixture of 78 parts of iso-octane and 22 parts of normal heptane. V If, for the preparation of the said catalyst, the sameactive carbon be employed without its having been pretreated with steamin the said man-' ner, the catalyst becomes impaired in its activity veryrapidly, probably by reason of the coking of the tarry constituents still present in small amounts in the carbon, and continuous operation caking together of thepieces.

What we claim is: '1. A process for heat treating a distillable carbonaceous material with a hydrogenating gas free from trouble is rendered impossible by the which comprises acting with said hydrogenating a gas upon the said distillable carbonaceous terial at an elevated temperature suitable for said heat treatment while in contact with a catalyst consisting of an activated-carrier containing carbon which after activation by an activating treatment at a temperature below 500 C. has

)been treated at a temperature above 500 C. with \2. A process for the destructive hydrogenation of a distillable carbonaceous material with a hydrogenating gas which comprises acting ,with

said hydrogenating gas upon thesaid distillable carbonaceous material under conditions of temperature ,and pressure effec said destructive hydrogenation while in contact with a catalyst consisting of anactivated carrier containing carbon which. after activation by an activating treatment at a temperature below 500 C. has

. been treated at a temperature above-500 C. with steam in the absence oi said distillable carbona ceous material and which is provided with a substance catalytically promotingthe said destructive hydrogenation. i '3.' A processior the destructive hydrogenation drogenating' gas which acting with said 8&3 .upon the said distillable carbonaceous materlalunder conditions of tema iofadistillable carbonaceousmaterialwithahyprusure said destructive f5 hydrogenation while in contact with a catalyst consisting of active carbon which after activation by an activating treatment at a temperature below 500 C. has been treated at a temperature above 500C. with steam in the absence of said distillable carbonaceous material and which is provided with a substance catalytically promoting the said destructive hydrogenation.

4. A process for the destructive hydrogenation of a distillable carbonaceous material with a hydrogenating gas which comprises acting with said hydrogenating gas upon the said distillable carbonaceous material under conditionsof temperature and pressure effecting said destructive hydrogenation while in contact with a catalyst consisting of active carbon which after activation by an activating treatment at a temperature below 500 C. has been treated at a temperature between 600 and 900 C. with steam in the absence of said distillable carbonaceous material and which is provided with a substance catalytically promoting the said destructive hydrogenation.

5. A process for the destructive hydrogenation of ahydrocarbon with a hydrogenating gas which comprises actingwith said hydrogenating gas upon the said hydrocarbon product at a tern perature between 380 and 550 C.jand under a pressure above 20 atmospheres while in contact with a catalyst consisting of an activated carrier containing carbon which after activation by an activating treatment at a temperature below 500 C. has been treated at a temperature above 500 c. with steam is the absence of said hydro said distillable carbonaceous material, with an agent selected from the group consisting of steam and the oxides of carbon.

7. A process for heat treating a distillable carbonaceous material with a hydrogenating gas which comprises acting with said'hydrogenating gas upon the said distiliable carbonaceous ma- 4 terial at an elevated temperature suitable for said heat treatment while in contact with a catalyst consisting of a carrier containing carbon which has been activated by treatment with. an acid agent at a temperature below 500 C. and which after activation has' been treated, at a temperature above 500 C. and in the absence of said distillable carbonaceous material, with steam.

MATHIAS PIER.

WALTER SIMON.

PAUL JACOB. 

